Feature: Okay Alright
Words by Isabelle Turner
Just by one listen to his music, you immediately can see that Okay Alright is an artist that is wanting to achieve a greater purpose. While many artists focus on music, Okay Alright is one of few focusing on impact.
Los Angeles-based Bryce Waitkus, known professionally as Okay Alright, understands the ability of music to heal, and is using their music to focus on healing so many. I had the opportunity to sit down with him and discuss his recent single “magnesium” and upcoming album, starting today we don’t have to pretend.
Photo by Alexa Eskin
Surrounded by a town that emphasized a college degree, he always loved music but never felt that it was a viable option for him. But with meaningful messages to share, music eventually developed into something greater than a pastime. Seeking for their messages to reach people,
Waitkus’ ideas took form in many different projects. Not only is the artist known as Okay Alright, but he is in the band, War Is Over and has another solo project, healer.
“Music became a viable option at the end of high school because I started a band with my high school band, War Is Over, and it ended up on Discover Weekly. But I’ve always wanted to do psychology and I’ve been on that track my entire life. When I got to a point where music is viable, I wanted to mix that with psych. That’s what Okay Alright was, when I was 17. I said, “this is going to be really personal, and it’s not for anyone else. This is going to be my mental health and my story’. I realized I had the skill set to take on a therapist role in music. That was when I started Healer, taking the emotional root of Okay Alright and bringing that to the most people. I wanted to impact people, and make that help more accessible. Ever since then, that has been my full motivation of life, both in my work at Trevor, but also in my music”
Once music became a viable option, Okay Alright quickly started creating songs, producing songs that are authentic and beautifully poetic. Their songwriting talent is an incredibly unique one. For his newest track, “magnesium”, the beautifully melodic piece is one that just came to him.
“I am a horrible sleeper and one night I woke up, it was 5AM and I just popped up and I had that first line in my head. I wrote it all in go without stopping and I wasn’t thinking about choruses or how it is going to be perceived or anything. I thought ‘what am I feeling right now’, ‘what do I need to get out of me’. I wrote it, went to my desk, recorded it that night and was able to sleep peacefully”
“magnesium” is a masterpiece that builds throughout the song, offering thought-provoking and meaningful vocals that glide beautifully over acoustic guitar. An incredibly vulnerable and expressive piece, the song offers listeners an immediate sense of peace. The themes that Waitkus
explores throughout their discography is what makes Okay Alright so meaningful to so many. The latest track will be seen on Okay Alright’s upcoming album, releasing May 12.
“My upcoming album is called starting today we don’t have to pretend. It is the title of a poem I wrote in high school. At the time, I was still trying to find myself and at the time, I was writing my first album. It was very much about letting go of things I was scared to let go of. I knew it was about identity but in a different way. It was about me being an adult for the first time, being in a new place, and having the power to make decisions for myself. I thought that was very fitting because it is these themes that have been on my mind for years but in a new context. Even though this album is still produced by me, written by me, I feel like I have grown so much since the first one, which ironically came out on the first day of Quarantine in 2020. To mark this, which is coming out a little over two years later, I think everything is so different. The loneliness of COVID definitely made my music less lonely”
The messages implemented in Waitkus’ music is one of many traits that makes the artist stand out. In his spare time, he works for the Trevor Project, a nonprofit that focuses on sucidie prevention.
Photo by Alexa Eskin
“Especially this year, suicide prevention is my number one thing. That, for me, is the heart of my music. Everything stems from being okay or not being okay. That is the common thread through everything I write and the message I really care about the most”
Okay Alright is one of the great artists that focuses on impact, rather than just music. By starting important conversations through a beautifully-created medium, Waitkus touches the lives of so many. As the artist continues to grow, their authenticity and vulnerability remains constant.
“The best part is knowing I can influence people in a positive way. To me, that’s more important than the music itself. I want my legacy to be that I was able to be there for as many people as possible and create social change. I want to have a platform that can make meaningful change for people”
Check out Okay Alright online:
